Friday, 4 May 2018

How I "Wake Up Like This"

I'm going to start off by saying, Microblading is the best thing I've ever done for myself.

I didn't think I need microblading. I always thought microblading is for those who doesn't have much hair on their brows. I have a lot of hair on my eyebrows, they are thick and dark. I also always thought microblading is the same as the eyebrow tattoos we see on the older generations, those that will eventually turn green, haha. I have a lot of hair, and I don't want two bold lines on my forehead, so I never considered microblading.

Until my close girlfriend did it, and hers looked so natural ! It looked just like her regular eyebrows with perfect make up on. To save myself the time I use to shape my eyebrows on a daily basis, I decided to go ahead and give microblading a try. It's not permanent, so even if it didn't turn out the way I want it, it will fade.

But it did !

I went to the place my girlfriend suggested. It's a residential space so I was a little skeptical at first, but long story short, she did a good job and I have been hooked on microblading since.

After my "tattoo" faded, I wanted to return to that lady for a refill, and was then approached by Nikki. After carefully researching on Nikki's portfolio and experience, I decided to let her refill my mostly faded brows.

First Impression
Nikki's clinic is located in the Burrard Medical Building, which right away felt more professional than the residential spot I went to. The clinic is an intimate space, clean and tidy. Nikki was really friendly and fun to chat with, she made me feel so comfortable with the procedure right away.

The ProcedurePre
Before we started the actual procedure, Nikki used an erasable pencil to draw on my eyebrows to ensure I got the desired shape. She patiently drew and corrected over and over again to make sure the two brows are even and flawless, and that I was completely happy about it. She was so patient and diligent.

During

One thing very important to note is that, while many microblading places use reusable sanitized blades, Nikki uses disposable ones, which means I was the first and only person that blade ever touched. This is so much more hygienic than the reusable blades. Because it's a tool that cuts into your skin, it is important to know that the tool is absolutely safe and clean.

In hindsight, I should have been more cautious with my previous experience at the residential place :(

It was extremelyyyyyyyyy painful the first time when I did my eyebrows with the residential lady. She applied numbing cream for me but I didn't think it worked at all. I was tearing up the entire time and felt each blade cut into my skin and bone deeply and forcefully.

With Nikki, while it wasn't a spa treatment, it definitely was not nearly as painful as my first experience. She applied numbing cream for me and patiently waited until it started working. During the procedure as well, Nikki kept asking if I felt any pain, and when I did, she would pause and apply more numbing cream, and waited till I was properly numbed. I appreciate this a lot because I have super low pain tolerance.

To be honest, it felt like a blade cutting you countless times. But thanks to the numbing cream and Nikki's techniques, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. You will feel like a blunt blade (even though it wasn't blunt) cutting on the surface of your skin and you won't feel much pain. It was definitely tolerable, even for me.

Post
After the first session, my eyebrow looked really dark for a couple of days before the scabs fell off. The scabbing process was a little annoying because my eyebrows were itchy and I couldn't scratch them as I wished. But that was about it ! Nikki provided detailed post-care instructions and ointments for me to bring home and they helped tremendously.

Only about 1.5 weeks later, my eyebrows looked natural and I no longer needed to wear any make up when I wake up. Also thanks to my eye lash extensions, I literally can "wake up like this". It's soooooooooooooooooo easy and quick to get ready in the morning. I just wash my face, slap on some skin care, and off I go ! And I look great too !

Below is write up by Nikki from her website :

What To Expect After Your Procedure

It is possible to experience redness and swelling up to 48 hours after the procedure.

The treated area will appear much darker and bold due to the oxidation process during the healing period.

If the area is kept, a light pigment film (not thick scab) will appear after 4-7 days.

As the area heals it will become dry and itchy.

As the pigment film starts to flake off DO NOT pick, scratch, itch or pull off any of the areas which are peeling.

Choosing to pick at flakes and peeling areas will pull out pigment, and result in spots left without any pigment or in some cases scarring.

As the area continues to heal, a softer more natural result will be revealed underneath.

Please note that within the first 6 weeks the amount of pigment that you see can seem very faint. It may seem like the pigment has been lost; please be advised that the skin regenerates the pigment and the healing process can in some cases kids the lines completely. You must allow the full healing time of 6 weeks to see the true colour and saturation.

Touch Up
6 weeks later, my eyebrows were fully healed and I was dued for a touch up. This touch up session was meant to correct or change anything I wish to improve, and it's a complimentary service !

The healing process of this touch up is similar to the actual procedure, just shorter and less difficult. I hardly had any scabs from this session and healed really quickly after !

Getting microblading saves me so much time in the morning and I love how natural it looks. Overall, I'm very very happy about my results. I highly recommend Nikki to all my friends and readers. See below for my progresses. I do think my brows look better in person than in these photos !